SC admits petition against defection of Congress MLAs into TRS

Wed, Aug 17, 2016, 05:16 PM

New Delhi, Aug.17: Supreme Court today admitted a petition for hearing that challenged the defection of Congress MLAs into ruling TRS party in Telangana State.
The petition was filed by Congress MLA Sampath Kumar. He challenged the defections and urged the apex court to disqualify those MLAs, who joined the TRS.

A division bench presided over by Justice Kurien issued notices to Telangana Assembly Speaker and Congress legislators who joined the ruling party. The Supreme Court directed the Assembly Speaker and the defectors to submit their replies within three weeks.

Earlier, Sampat Kumar had approached the Hyderabad High Court and a single bench, as well as a division bench, rejected his petition. Later, the Congress MLA filed an appeal in the Supreme Court.

In Telangana State, the TRS had won 63 Assembly seats in 2014 elections followed by Congress Party 22 and TDP 15 seats. But, eight MLAs from Congress and 12 MLAs of TDP changed loyalties and joined the ruling TRS party.

Talking to media persons here on Wednesday, petitioner Sampat Kumar said though he had filed complaints against the defector MLAs, the Assembly Speaker failed to act. Then he knocked the doors of High Court for action against the defector MLAs. As the High Court declined to interfere in the issue of the legislature, he approached the highest court of the country for justice.